System and Method of Capturing, Tracking, Composing, Analyzing and Automating Analog and Digital Interactions

ABSTRACT

A system and method are disclosed for capturing, tracking, analyzing and automating analog and digital interactions. Embodiments include a system comprising one or more end user systems, one or more entity systems, and a computer operatively coupled to a display device. The computer is configured to monitor one or more communications on first and second communication channels between the end user and entity systems, group the one or more communications on the first and second communication channels by communication subject, and display the grouped communications on the display device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/419,882, filed on May 22, 2019, entitled “System and Method ofCapturing, Tracking, Composing, Analyzing and Automating Analog andDigital Interactions,” which claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e)to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/778,134, filed Dec. 11, 2018, andentitled “System and Method of Capturing, Tracking, Composing, Analyzingand Automating Analog and Digital Interactions.” U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 16/419,882 and U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/778,134 areassigned to the assignee of the present application. The subject matterdisclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/419,882 and U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/778,134 is hereby incorporated byreference into the present disclosure as if fully set forth herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to a fully integratedcommunication platform servicing multiple communication channels andspecifically to capturing, tracking, composing, analyzing and automatinganalog and digital interactions.

BACKGROUND

Customer-facing companies and entities must field, sort, manage, andrespond to hundreds or thousands of customer communications on a dailybasis. Prior solutions that attempt to manage and organize thisinformation have approached the problem one communication channel (suchas telephone or email) at a time. However, this at best provides anundesirable outcome, as this approach forces users to rely on multipletools and multiple interfaces instead of a single interface to manageand respond to customer communications.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete understanding of the present invention may be derived byreferring to the detailed description when considered in connection withthe following illustrative figures. In the figures, like referencenumbers refer to like elements or acts throughout the figures.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary communication platform, according to anembodiment;

FIG. 2 illustrates the platform administrator of FIG. 1 in greaterdetail, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 3 illustrates the communication systems of FIG. 1 in greaterdetail, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 4 illustrates the communication channels associated with the enduser system and entity system of FIG. 1 in greater detail, according toan embodiment;

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary user interface generated by thegraphical user interface module of FIG. 2, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary user interface comprising an accountboard, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary user interface comprising anotheraccount board, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary user interface comprising anotheraccount board comprising a multi-path interaction chart, according to anembodiment; and

FIG. 9 illustrates another exemplary user interface, according to anembodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Aspects and applications of the invention presented herein are describedbelow in the drawings and detailed description of the invention. Unlessspecifically noted, it is intended that the words and phrases in thespecification and the claims be given their plain, ordinary, andaccustomed meaning to those of ordinary skill in the applicable arts.

In the following description, and for the purposes of explanation,numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the various aspects of the invention. It will beunderstood, however, by those skilled in the relevant arts, that thepresent invention may be practiced without these specific details. Inother instances, known structures and devices are shown or discussedmore generally in order to avoid obscuring the invention. In many cases,a description of the operation is sufficient to enable one to implementthe various forms of the invention, particularly when the operation isto be implemented in software. It should be noted that there are manydifferent and alternative configurations, devices and technologies towhich the disclosed inventions may be applied. The full scope of theinventions is not limited to the examples that are described below.

As described more fully below, aspects of the following disclosurerelate to a system and method of coordinating volumes of customercommunications, interactions, and responses to customers across multiplecommunication channels. Embodiments of the following disclosure providea communication platform that monitors interactions, such as, forexample, any communication or interaction that shares or transmitsinformation or data between at least two communication devices.Embodiments provide a single interface and process for capturing andstoring data related to interactions, assigning priority rankings tointeractions, organizing interactions into topic-related groups,interpreting the urgency, severity, and type of interactions, andcoordinating responses to interactions across separate communicationchannels. In addition, the communications platform sorts interactions bycontext, and may generate automated responses to interactions based onthe interpreted urgency or content of the interaction.

Embodiments of the following disclosure may manage hundreds or thousandsof interactions on a daily basis and across a variety of communicationchannels in an efficient process, allowing businesses to service theircustomers and/or end user base more efficiently by reducingcomputational run time of computer systems. In addition, or as analternative, embodiments provide for a persona-based experience for auser of the system described herein, such that the display of thedifferent types of interactions is organized based on the identity ofthe user and the user adding, editing and/or deleting the interactions.Embodiments thereby provide, among other things, a reduction ofcomputational run-time of a computer system in responding to hundredsand thousands of incoming interactions.

FIG. 1 illustrates exemplary communication platform 100, according to afirst embodiment. Communication platform 100 comprises one or moreplatform administrators 110, one or more end user systems 120, one ormore cloud datastores 130, one or more entity systems 140, network 150,and communication links 152-158. Although one or more platformadministrators 110, one or more end user systems 120, one or more clouddatastores 130, one or more entity systems 140, network 150, andcommunication links 152-158 are shown and described, embodimentscontemplate any number of platform administrators 110, end user systems120, cloud datastores 130, entity systems 140, networks 150, orcommunication link 152, according to particular needs.

In one embodiment, platform administrator 110 comprises server 112 anddatabase 114. Server 112 is programmed to monitor interactions betweenone or more end user systems 120 and one or more entity systems 140.Database 114 comprises one or more databases or other data storagearrangements at one or more locations local to, or remote from, platformadministrator 110. In one embodiment, one or more databases 114 iscoupled with one or more servers 112 using one or more local areanetworks (LANs), metropolitan area networks (MANs), wide area networks(WANs), network 150, such as, for example, the Internet, or any otherappropriate wire line, wireless link, or any other communication link.One or more databases 114 stores data that is made available and may beused by one or more servers 112 according to the operation ofcommunication platform 100.

According to embodiments, one or more end user systems 120 comprises endusers such as, for example, a buyer, a customer, a retailer, or anyother individual, business, or enterprise which communicates with one ormore entity systems 140. One or more end user systems 120 comprise oneor more communication systems 122 that send and/or receive interactionsto and from one or more entity systems 140 utilizing one or morecommunication channels. Although a particular number of communicationsystems 122 a-122 n are shown and described, embodiments contemplateeach end user system 120 comprising any number of communication systems122, according to particular needs.

Communication systems 122 may comprise communication devices 124 andserver 126, and include any system located at one or more end usersystems 120 that is configured to send and receive interactions with oneor more entity systems 140. Each communication device 124 may provideone or more end user systems 120 and one or more entity systems 140 witha communication channel between the one or more end user systems 120 andone or more entity systems 140. Communication devices 124 may comprise,for example, one or more of land-line telephones, cellular phones,computers, laptop computers, notebook computers, tablet-type devices,smartphones, terminals, or any other suitable communication device.

One or more end user systems 120 may be coupled with one or more entitysystems 140 by network 150 via communication links 154. Althoughcommunication links 154 a-154 n are shown connecting communicationsystems 122 a-122 n, respectively, to network 150, embodimentscontemplate any number of communication links 154 a-154 n connecting anynumber of communication systems 122 with network 150, according toparticular needs. In alternative embodiments, communication links 154may connect one or more communication systems 122 directly to one ormore entity systems 140. Communication links 154 may comprise one ormore communication channels, as described in more detail below. Platformadministrator 110 may monitor the interactions between one or moreentity systems 140 and one or more end user systems 120 and may recordthe interactions between a single end user or multiple end users and oneor more entity systems 140.

According to embodiments, one or more cloud datastores 130 compriseserver 132 and database 134. One or more cloud datastores 130 providefor the storage of data and hosting of programs or applications.According to embodiments, server 132 of one or more cloud datastores 130hosts and runs one or more runtime processes associated with platformadministrator 110. Server 132 comprises any server configured to access,update and provide data associated with one or more platformadministrators 110, one or more end user systems 120 or one or moreentity systems 140. Database 134 comprises one or more databases orother data storage arrangements at one or more locations, local to, orremote from, one or more platform administrators 110. In one embodiment,one or more databases 134 is coupled with one or more servers 132 usingone or more LANs, WANs, MANs, network 150, such as, for example, theInternet, or any other appropriate wire line, wireless, or any othercommunication link. One or more databases 134 store data that is madeavailable and may be used by one or more end users 120, one or moreservers 132, and one or more entity systems 140 according to theoperation of communication platform 100.

According to embodiments, one or more entity systems 140 comprise anyentity that communicates with one or more end users, including its ownend users, the end users of other entity systems 140, and/or one or moreend user systems 120. One or more entity systems 140 may comprise, forexample, a business, company, entity, enterprise, distributor, retailer,call center, CRM specialist system, customer service system, help desksystem, or any entity system that communicates with end users, eitherits own end users or the end users of other entity systems 140. One ormore entity systems 140 may comprise one or more servers 142 and one ormore databases 144, or other data storage arrangements at one or morelocations which are integral to or separate from the hardware and/orsoftware that supports communication platform 100.

In addition, or as an alternative, each of the one or more entitysystems 140 may comprise one or more communication systems 146 that sendor receive interactions to and from one or more end user systems 120.Communication system 146 may comprise communication devices 148, andinclude any system located at one or more entity systems 140 that isconfigured to send and receive interactions over one or morecommunication channels. Each communication device 148 may provide one ormore entity systems 140 and one or more end user systems 120 acommunication channel between one or more end user systems 120 and oneor more entity systems 140. One or more end user systems 120 may utilizeplatform administrator 110 to monitor the interactions between one ormore entity systems 140 and one or more end user systems 120 anddetermine a sentiment score based on one or more sentiment criteria, asdiscussed in more detail below. In addition, communication systems 146may each operate on separate computer systems or may operate on one ormore shared computer systems. Each of these one or more computer systemsmay comprise a work station, personal computer, network computer, laptopcomputer, notebook computer, tablet-type device, smartphone, terminal,or any other suitable communication device.

According to embodiments, one or more platform administrators 110including server 112 and database 114 is coupled with network 150 usingcommunication link 152, which may be any wireline, wireless, or otherlink suitable to support data communications between one or moreplatform administrators 110 and network 150. One or more end user system120 communication systems 122 a-122 n are coupled with network 150 usingcommunication links 154 a-154 n, which may be any wireline, wireless, orother link suitable to support data communications between one or morecommunication systems 122 and network 150. One or more cloud datastores130, including server 132 and database 134, are coupled with network 150using communication link 156, which may be any wireline, wireless, orother link suitable to support data communications between one or morecloud datastores 130 and network 150. One or more entity systems 140,including server 142 and database 144, are coupled with network 150using communication link 158, which may be any wireless or other linksuitable to support data communications between one or more entitysystems 140 and network 150.

Although communication links 152-158 are shown as generally coupling oneor more platform administrators 110, one or more end user systems 120,one or more cloud datastores 130, and one or more entity systems 140with network 150, one or more platform administrators 110, one or moreend user systems 120, one or more cloud datastores 130, and one or moreentity systems 140 may communicate directly with each other according toparticular needs.

In an embodiment, network 150 includes the Internet, telephone lines,any appropriate LANs, MANs, or WANs, and any other communication networkcoupling one or more platform administrators 110, one or more end usersystems 120, one or more cloud datastores 130, and one or more entitysystems 140. For example, data may be maintained by one or more platformadministrators 110 or one or more cloud datastores 130 at the one ormore locations external to one or more platform administrators 110and/or one or more cloud datastores 130, and made available to one ormore platform administrators 110, one or more end user systems 120, oneor more cloud datastores 130, or one or more entity systems 140 usingnetwork 150 or in any other appropriate manner. Those skilled in the artwill recognize that the complete structure and operation of network 150and other components within communication platform 100 are not depictedor described. Embodiments may be employed in conjunction with knowncommunications networks 150 and other components.

According to embodiments, one or more platform administrators 110, oneor more end user systems 120, one or more cloud datastores 130, and/orone or more entity systems 140 may each operate on one or more computersthat are integral to or separate from the hardware and/or software thatsupports communication platform 100. In addition, or as an alternative,the one or more users or representatives may be associated withcommunication platform 100 including one or more platform administrators110, one or more end user systems 120, one or more cloud datastores 130,and/or one or more entity systems 140. These one or more users mayinclude, for example, one or more computers programmed to autonomouslyhandle monitoring interactions between one or more entity systems 140and one or more end user systems 120 and/or the one or more relatedtasks within communication platform 100. As used herein, computer, theterm “computer,” and “computer system” comprise an input device and anoutput device. The input device includes any suitable input device, suchas a keypad, mouse, touch screen, microphone, or other device to inputinformation. The output device comprises any suitable output device thatmay convey information associated with the operation of communicationplatform 100, including digital or analog data, visual information, oraudio information. Furthermore, the one or more computers include anysuitable fixed or removable non-transitory computer-readable storagemedia, such as magnetic computer disks, CD-ROMs, or other suitable mediato receive output from and provide input to communication platform 100.The one or more computers also include one or more processors andassociated memory to execute instructions and manipulate informationaccording to the operation of communication platform 100.

Although a single user is described above as being associated with oneor more end user systems 120, embodiments contemplate more than one enduser associated with each end user system 120. For example, if an enduser represents an organization or entity, more than one individual maybe associated with the organization or entity that contacts one or moreentity systems 140. Likewise, although a single point of contact, i.e.,a representative is described as being associated with one or moreentity systems 140, embodiments contemplate more than one point ofcontact, i.e., multiple representatives at one or more entity systems140. For example, and as discussed below, if one or more entity systems140 is an entity which services and repairs products, end users mayspeak with different representatives of entity systems 140 to inquireabout, for example, warranty of a product or the sale of a new productand at separate or concurrent time periods.

According to embodiments, platform administrator 110 monitorsinteractions between one or more end user systems 120 and one or moreentity systems 140. Platform administrator stores information relatingto each interaction, such as, for example, the date and time of theinteraction, the communication channel associated with the interaction,and the content of the interaction (including but not limited to texttranscripts of email, chat, or other written interactions, transcriptsof voice interactions such as over a telephone line, and recorded audiofiles of voice interactions) in one or more database 114 or 134.Platform administrator 110 may analyze these stored interactions andgroup them into one or more topic-related threads. Platformadministrator 110 may then display to one or more users thesetopic-related threads, permitting the visualization of interactionsbetween one or more end user systems 120 and one or more entity systems140 across communication channels, subjects, and instances of time.

According to embodiments, communication platform 100 platformadministrator 110 may analyze the one or more interactions thatconstitute the one or more topic-related threads, and may assess asentiment score, discussed in greater detail below, that estimateswhether the one or more users associated with the one or more end usersystems 120 involved in the interactions are satisfied or dissatisfiedwith the interactions which the one or more end user systems 120 haveshared with the one or more entity systems 140. Based on this sentimentscore, platform administrator may automatically generate and send one ormore interactions to end user systems 120. Communication platform 100may thereby manage, store, assess, and generate automated responses tothousands of interactions on a daily basis and across a variety ofcommunication channels.

FIG. 2 illustrates platform administrator 110 of FIG. 1 in greaterdetail, according to an embodiment. As discussed above, platformadministrator 110 comprises one or more computers at one or morelocations including associated input devices, output devices,non-transitory computer-readable storage media, processors, memory, orother components to send and receive interactions between one or moreend user systems 120 and one or more entity systems 140 according to theoperation of communication platform 100. In addition, and as discussedin more detail below, platform administrator 110 comprises server 112and database 114. Although platform administrator 110 is described ascomprising a single server 112 and database 114, embodiments contemplateany suitable number of servers 112 or databases 114 internal to orexternally coupled with platform administrator 110. In addition, or asan alternative, platform administrator 110 may be located internal toone or more entity systems 140. In other embodiments, platformadministrator 110 may be located external to one or more entity systems140 and may be located in, for example, a corporate or regional entityof one or more entity systems 140, according to particular needs.

Server 112 comprises administration module 202, graphical user interfacemodule 204, and channel interaction module 206. Although a particularconfiguration of server 112 is shown and described, embodimentscontemplate any suitable number or combination of administration modules202, graphical user interface modules 204, and channel interactionmodules 206, located at one or more locations, local to, or remote from,platform administrator 110, according to particular needs. In addition,or as an alternative, administration module 202, graphical userinterface module 204, and channel interaction module 206 may be locatedon multiple servers 112 or computers at any location in communicationplatform 100.

Database 114 comprises entity data 210, end user data 212, interactiondata 214, thread criteria 216, sentiment criteria 218, and alertcriteria 220. Although database 114 is shown and described as comprisingentity data 210, end user data 212, interaction data 214, threadcriteria 216, sentiment criteria 218, and alert criteria 220,embodiments contemplate any suitable number or combination of entitydata 210, end user data 212, interaction data 214, thread criteria 216,sentiment criteria 218, alert criteria 220, and other data pertaining tocommunication platform 100 located at one or more locations, local to,or remote from, platform administrator 110, according to particularneeds.

Entity data 210 of database 114 contains the identification informationof one or more entity systems 140, such as, for example, names,addresses, company contact information, telephone numbers, email, IPaddresses, and the like. Although certain particular entity data 210 aredescribed, embodiments contemplate any type of entity data 210associated with one or more entity systems 140 or communication devices148, according to particular needs. In one embodiment, administrationmodule 202 uses entity data 210 to identify one or more entity systems140 in communication platform 100 to generate particular configurationsof communication platform 100 specific to each entity system 140.According to embodiments, entity data 210 may comprise a list of taskswhich entity system 140 will perform in a specified period of time (suchas, for example, contacting a specified number of end user systems 120).

End user data 212 of database 114 may comprise information regarding enduser systems 120 which utilize communication devices 124 to contact oneor more entity systems 140, or may comprise information regardingcommunication systems 122 or communication devices 124 directly. Enduser data 212 may comprise, for example, user ID, user social securitynumber, user age, user sex, user language, user education and the like.Although certain particular end user data 212 are described, embodimentscontemplate any type of end user data 212 associated with one or moreend user systems 120 or communication devices 124, according toparticular needs. According to embodiments, end user data 212 maycomprise a list of events associated with one or more end user systems(such as, for example, data regarding a particular end user's birthday).

Interaction data 214 of database 114 may comprise information regardinginteractions between one or more end user systems 120 and communicationdevices 124 with one or more entity systems 140 and communicationdevices 148. Interaction data 214 may also comprise organization andsetup data for channel interaction module 206. According to embodiments,interaction data 214 comprises the particular communication channels,which are available to a particular end user system 120 or entity system140, the times at which communication channels are available, theprotocols or metadata that describe particular interactions, and/or anyother setup data necessary to configure channel interaction module 206.

In addition, or as an alternative, interaction data 214 is notconstrained by preconfigured or preset relationships. Instead, platformadministrator 110 server 112 may store interaction data 214 in tablesand fields of database 114 or cloud datastore 130 and may construct apost-storage relationship based on, for example, a relationship builder,a learning engine and/or a rules engine. For example, administrationmodule 202 may build relationships between interactions stored ininteraction data 214 by grouping interactions which share aparticipating entity (such as a customer, account, or company), methodof engagement (such as a survey, case, sale, or marketing event), or oneor more of any thread criteria 216, as discussed in more detail below.

Thread criteria 216 of database 114 may comprise information, whichenables administration module 202 of server 112 to analyze interactiondata 214 and detect related interaction topics across separatecommunication channels, lengths of time, and communication systems 122and 146. Administration module 202 may access thread criteria 216 indatabase 114 and use it to group interactions stored in interaction data214 into one or more topic-related threads, as described in more detailbelow.

Thread criteria 216 may comprise, for example, name criteria (whichinstructs administration module 202 to group all interactions containinga particular end user system 120 or entity system 140 user name into oneor more topic-related threads); time criteria (which instructsadministration module 202 to group all interactions which took place ata specific date or time into one or more topic-related threads); eventcriteria (which instructs administration module 202 to group allinteractions which pertain to a particular survey, advertising campaign,or other defined event into one or more topic-related threads), subjectcriteria (which instructs administration module 202 to group allinteractions which pertain to a defined subject, such as, for example, aproduct sale or an account service matter), and/or keyword criteria(which instructs administration module 202 to group all interactionscontaining one or more keywords, such as, for example, “Password Repair”into one or more topic-related threads). Although certain particularthread criteria 216 are described, embodiments contemplate any type ofthread criteria 216 associated with database 114, according toparticular needs. In an embodiment, having created one or moretopic-related threads, administration module 202 stores informationregarding the one or more topic-related threads in interaction data 214.

Sentiment criteria 218 of database 114 may comprise information whichenables administration module 202 of server 112 to analyze interactionsstored in interaction data 214 and assign each interaction a sentimentscore, as described in more detail below. Sentiment scores provide datainferring the feeling, behavior, viewpoint, and/or mindset of one ormore end users of one or more end user systems 120 and/or one or morerepresentatives of one or more entity systems 140 who participated inthe particular interaction. Administration module 202 may accesssentiment criteria 218 in database 114 and use it to assign a sentimentscore to each interaction stored in interaction data 214. For example,administration module 202 may access one or more sentiment criteria 218and perform a subjective analysis of the emotions of the words used in aparticular interaction, and may score the words with a numerical valuesentiment score, such as, for example, a numerical value between 0 and100, wherein 0 represents a highly negative end user interaction andsentiment score, and 100 represents a highly positive end userinteraction and sentiment score.

In addition, sentiment criteria 218 may comprise, for example, keywordcriteria, which instruct administration module 202 to assign a lowersentiment score to a particular interaction if words such as“frustrated” or “cancel” are present in that interaction, and to assigna higher sentiment score if words such as “happy” or “resolved” arepresent. Embodiments further contemplate one or more end user systems140 directly accessing sentiment criteria 218 and setting numericalvalues for sentiment scores. Although certain particular numericalvalues of the sentiment score and sentiment criteria 218 are described,embodiments contemplate any numerical value of the sentiment score andany type of sentiment criteria 218, according to particular needs. In anembodiment, having created one or more sentiment scores for one or moreinteractions, administration module 202 stores information regarding theone or more sentiment scores in interaction data 214.

Alert criteria 220 of database 114 may comprise information, whichenables administration module 202 of server 112 to analyze interactionsstored in interaction data 214 and generate an alert when one or morealert criteria 220 occur, as described in more detail below. Forexample, alert criteria 220 may instruct administration module 202 togenerate an alert when administration module 202 assigns a sentimentscore to a particular interaction that is below a specified value.Alternatively, alert criteria 220 may instruct administration module 202to generate an alert when administration module 202 assigns a sentimentscore to an interaction which administration module 202 has assigned toa particular topic-related threads that is a specified value below thesentiment score of the immediately preceding interaction in thetopic-related thread. Alert criteria 220 may further compriseinstructions for administration module 202 to trigger an alert whenchannel interaction module 206 stores a particular interaction (such as,for example, a particular interaction type or an interaction, which tookplace over a particular communication channel) in interaction data 214.Although particular alert criteria 220 are described, embodimentscontemplate any type of alert criteria 220, according to particularneeds. In an embodiment, having created one or more alerts for one ormore interactions, administration module 202 stores informationregarding the one or more alerts in interaction data 214.

Administration module 202 of server 112 may configure, update, and/ormanage the operation of platform administrator 110. That is,administration module 202 may configure, update, and/or manage thebroader operation of communication platform 100 and change which data isexecuted and/or stored on platform administrator 110, one or more enduser systems 120, one or more cloud datastores 130, or one or moreentity systems 140. Communication platform 100 may comprise auser-configurable system, such that platform administrator 110 may storeentity data 210, end user data 212, and/or interaction data 214 eithersingularly or redundantly in database 114, one or more end user systems120, and/or one or more entity systems 140, according to particularneeds. In addition, or as an alternative, administration module 202captures interaction data 214 from multiple sources, such as, forexample, one or more end user systems 120, one or more entity systems140, one or more cloud datastores 130, and/or other third-party sources,and stores interaction data 214 in database 114. According to otherembodiments, channel interaction module 206 monitors, processes,updates, creates, and stores entity data 210, end user data 212, and/orinteraction data 214 in database 114, as discussed in more detail below.

Graphical user interface module 204 of server 112 generates a graphicaluser interface comprising entity data 210, end user data 212,interaction data 214, and sentiment scores, such as, for example:generating charts, storing and retrieving historical data of customerrelationship management, and displaying notifications. Graphical userinterface module 204 stores and retrieves data from database 114including entity data 210, end user data 212, interaction data 214, andsentiment scores, which may be stored in interaction data 214. Accordingto embodiments and as discussed in more detail below, graphical userinterface module 204 generates a graphical user interface displaycomprising details of one or more interactions (such as, for example, atelephone call between an end user system 120 communication device 124and an entity system 140) including, for example, the types ofrelationships. In addition, or as an alternative, graphical userinterface module 204 may generate a graphical user interface displaycommunicating interaction activity details each time a user of one ormore end user systems 120 initiates an interaction, each time therepresentative of the one or more systems responds, and/or for theentire interaction activity history.

According to other embodiments, graphical user interface module 204 maygenerate different graphical user interface displays conveying differenttypes of information about interactions between one or more end usersystems 120 and one or more entity systems 140. By way of example onlyand not by way of limitation, graphical user interface module 204 maygenerate different graphical user interface displays, each displayingalternative combinations of entity data 210, end user data 212,interaction data 214, thread data 216, sentiment scores or sentimentcriteria 218, and/or alerts or alert criteria 220, for different usersof one or more end user systems 120 or entity systems 140.Administration module 202 of platform administrator 110 may accessentity data 210 and end user data 212, and use entity data 210 and/orend user data 212 to determine the identity of one or more specificusers associated with one or more end user systems 120 or entity systems140. Administration module 202 may transmit user identity information tographical user interface module 204. Graphical user interface module 204may then generate a specific graphical user interface display comprisinga user-specific combination of entity data 210, end user data 212,interaction data 214, thread data 216, sentiment scores or sentimentcriteria 218, and/or alerts or alert criteria 220.

According to embodiments, graphical user interface module 204 maygenerate unique graphical user interface displays for, for example,account manager users or for agent users. Although unique graphical userinterface displays generated for account managers or agents aredescribed herein, embodiments contemplate graphical user interfacemodule 204 generating unique graphical user interface displays in anyconfiguration for any number or type of unique communication platform100 users, according to particular needs. For example, graphical userinterface module 204 may generate a graphical user interface display foran account manager, displaying all interactions associated with aparticular end user system 120 customer account across all communicationchannels and business situations. As another example and for an agent,graphical user interface module 204 may generate a graphical userinterface display for an agent, displaying all interactions associatedwith a particular end user system 120 customer, across all communicationchannels.

Channel interaction module 206 of server 112 monitors and recordsinteraction activity between one or more end user systems 120 and one ormore entity systems 140. For example, channel interaction module 206monitors interactions between one or more end user systems 120 and oneor more entity systems 140 across one or more communication channels.According to embodiments, channel interaction module 206 records thetime, duration, date, voice, text, and other interaction activityinformation and transcribes any voice communication, and stores thisdata in interaction data 214 of database 114.

According to embodiments, administration module 202 may accessinformation stored in thread criteria 216 and use thread criteria 216 togroup interactions stored in interaction data 214 into one or moretopic-related threads. In addition, administration module 202 may groupinteraction data 214 into topic-related threads by case interactions,sale interactions, contact interactions, and the like, according toparticular needs and thread criteria 216. For example, administrationmodule 202 may determine, via thread criteria 216, that all interactionsbetween a particular end user and a particular entity system 140 whichoccurred within a specified duration of time relate to a specific topic(such as, for example, that end user attempting to cancel a product orservice purchased from one or more entity systems 140). According toembodiments, administration module 202 may group all interactionsassociated with a particular end user regardless of the communicationchannel, into a single topic-related thread including interactions fromentity system 140 to the particular end user. In this way,administration module 202 may organize individual interactions betweenend user systems 120 and entity systems 140 across differentcommunication channels and different periods of time.

According to embodiments and as discussed in more detail below,administration module 202 may organize interactions between one or moreend user systems 120 and one or more entity systems 140 according tovarious thread criteria 216, including, for example, the time of aninteraction, the individual that initiated the interaction, thecommunication channel used for the interaction, the subject of theinteraction, and other interaction information, and group interactionactivities by topic into one or more threads of communication. Byutilizing interaction data 214, administration module 202 improves andautomates monitoring, interactions-based machine learning, andinteraction thread building. According to embodiments, administrationmodule 202 automates tasks such as determining a sentiment score basedon sentiment criteria 218.

FIG. 3 illustrates communication systems 122 a-122 n of FIG. 1 ingreater detail according to an embodiment. Communication systems 122a-122 n may comprise communication devices 124, server 126, and/orcommunication channels 310-314 which may be configured to communicatewith network 150, one or more platform administrators 110, one or morecloud datastores 130, and communication devices 148 of one or moreentity systems 140. In one embodiment, one or more communication systems122 a-122 n may each operate on separate computer systems or may operateon one or more shared computer systems. Each of these one or morecomputer systems may be a computer system 302, such as a work station,personal computer, network computer, laptop computer, notebook computer,tablet-type device 304, smartphone 306, terminal, or any other suitablecommunication device 124. In addition, communication devices 124 maycomprise a land-line or VoIP telephone 308. According to embodimentseach of the communication devices 124 are configured to communicate withcommunication devices 148 over a communication channel. In addition, oras an alternative each of one or more communication systems 146 may alsooperate on separate computer systems or may operate on one or moreshared computer systems, which may comprise a computer system 302, suchas a work station, personal computer, network computer, laptop computer,notebook computer, tablet-type device 304, smartphone 306, terminal, orany other suitable communication device 148.

Computer system 302, one or more tablet-type devices 304, smartphones306, and land-line or VoIP telephone 308 may comprise a processor,memory and data storage. The processor may execute an operating systemprogram stored in memory to control the overall operation of computersystem 302, one or more tablet-type devices 304 and/or smartphones 306.For example, the processor may control the reception of signals and thetransmission of signals within communication platform 100. The processormay execute other processes and programs resident in memory, such as,for example, registration, identification or communication over thecommunication channels and move data into or out of the memory, asrequired by an executing process.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that one or more specificexamples of communication systems 122 a-122 n are given by way ofexample and that for simplicity and clarity, only so much of theconstruction and operation of one or more communication systems 122a-122 n as is necessary for an understanding of the present invention isshown and described. Moreover, it is understood that one or morecommunication systems 122 a-122 n should not be construed to limit thetypes of devices in which embodiments of the present invention may beimplemented. For example, one or more communication systems 122 a-122 nmay be any device, including, but not limited to, conventional cellularor mobile telephones, smart mobile phones, an iPhone, an iPad, wirelesstablet devices, paging devices, personal digital assistant devices,short message service (SMS) wireless devices, portable computers, or anyother device capable of wireless or network communication.

According to embodiments, platform administrator 110 may assign each ofthe one or more communication devices 124 and 148 (see FIG. 1) one ormore identification numbers, such as IP addresses, serial numbers, ortelephone numbers that may be used to identify communication devices 124and 148. According to some embodiments, each communication device 124and 148 is associated with an identification number, such as an IP orMAC address. In addition, or as an alternative, communication systems122 a-122 n may be local to or remote from one or more end user systems120 and one or more entity systems 140. That is, communication devices124 of one or more end user systems 120 may communicate withcommunication devices 146 of one or more entity systems 140. Forexample, platform administrator 110 is programmed to monitor and analyzeinteractions via communication channels, such as, for example, telephonecalls, emails, instant, chat or text messaging, posting to social media,blogs, or newsgroups, and any other interactions activity betweencommunication devices 124 of one or more end user systems 120 andcommunication devices 148 of one or more entity systems 140.

FIG. 4 illustrates communication channels 400 associated with end usersystem 120 and entity system 140 of FIG. 1 in greater detail, accordingto an embodiment. As discussed above, communication devices 124 a-124 nof end user system 120 may communicate with communication devices 148a-148 n of entity system 140 via communication channels 400. Accordingto embodiments, communication channels 400 comprise voice channel 402,video channel 404, email channel 406, text channel 408, chat channel410, and other channel 412. Communication channels 400 comprise theseparate channels through which telecommunications devices send andreceive information, and may include, for example, telephone lines,emails and electronic communications over the Internet, instantmessages, text messages, or other communication channels presentlyavailable or which may be developed in the future. For example, in anembodiment, end user system 120 communication device 124 may comprise aland line telephone 308, which a user may use to communicate with entitysystem 140 communication device 148 via a telephone land linecommunication channel.

In order to illustrate interactions between one or more end user systems120 and one or more entity systems 140, an example is now given. In thefollowing example, entity system 140 comprises an entity that servicesand repairs products, and end user system 120 comprises communicationdevices 124 a-124 n which communicate with entity system 140communication devices 148 a-148 n over different communication channels.Continuing with the example, a user of end user system 120 may utilizesmartphone 306 to communicate with a representative of entity system 140using voice channel 402 to inquire about various warranty issues. Onanother occasion, the same user may use another communication device 124or the same communication device 124 to communicate with a differentrepresentative of entity system 140 using another communication channel,such as an email channel 406, to inquire about one or more new productsor services. Although particular communication devices 124 andassociated communication channels 402-412 are shown and described,embodiments contemplate any number of users associated withcommunication devices 124, any number of representatives associated withcommunication devices 148, and any number of communication channels,according to particular needs.

Continuing with the above example, platform administrator 110 maymonitor and record data regarding the first interaction over voicechannel 402 and the second interaction over email channel 406. Platformadministrator 110 may use such information to group the interactionactivity into a continuous topic-related thread, using one or morecriteria, to allow communication platform 100 to track interactionspertaining to a particular topic, event, or matter across differentcommunication channels and interactions, as discussed in more detailbelow.

FIG. 5 illustrates exemplary user interface 500 generated by graphicaluser interface module 204 of FIG. 2, according to an embodiment. Userinterface 500 comprises account screen 504, contact screen 506, calendarscreen 508, owner screen 510, type screen 512, direction screen 514,channel selector screen 516 and account board 518. Although userinterface 500 is shown and described as comprising one of each ofaccount screen 504, contact screen 506, calendar screen 508, ownerscreen 510, type screen 512, direction screen 514, channel selectorscreen 516 and account board 518, embodiments contemplate graphical userinterface module 204 generating and displaying any suitable number ortypes of screens.

According to embodiments, administration module 202 accesses entity data210 and end user data 212, and determines the accounts and contactsassociated with one or more entity systems 140 and end user systems 120.Administration module 202 transmits this data to graphical userinterface module 204, which displays these accounts on account screen504 and these contacts on contact screen 506. According to embodiments,administration module 202 accesses interaction data 214, and morespecifically the dates and times at which particular interactionsoccurred, for one or more interactions. Administration module 202transmits this data to graphical user interface module 204, whichdisplays this date and time information for particular interactions oncalendar screen 508.

According to embodiments, administration module 202 accesses entity data210 and instructs graphical user interface module 204 to displayinformation regarding various users of one or more entity systems 140 onowner screen 510. According to embodiments, administration module 202accesses entity data 210 and end user data 212, and instructs graphicaluser interface module 204 to display information regarding tasks orevents associated with one or more entity systems 140 and/or one or moreend user systems 120 on type screen 512. Administration module 202 mayaccess interaction data 214 and instruct graphical user interface module204 to display information specifying whether a particular interactionwas “inbound” (wherein an end user system 120 contacted entity system140), or “outbound” (wherein entity system 140 contacted end user system120), on direction screen 514. Administration module 202 may accessinteraction data 214 and instruct graphical user interface module 204 todisplay information specifying the communication channel 400 on which aparticular interaction occurred on channel selector screen 516.

According to embodiments, administration module 202 accesses entity data210, end user data 212, interaction data 214, thread criteria 216,sentiment criteria 218, and alert criteria 220, and instructs graphicaluser interface module 204 to display, on account board 518, a pluralityof information regarding end user systems 120, entity systems 140, andinteractions and threads between end user systems 120 and entity systems140, as described in greater detail below.

According to embodiments, channel interaction module 206 monitorsinteractions between one or more end user systems 120 and one or moreentity systems 140, and stores information related to these interactionsin interaction data 214. Administration module 202 accesses interactiondata 214 and thread criteria 216 and determines if a particularinteraction activity conversation, email or text is sent in context to aparticular topic, whether the interaction is outbound or inbound, howmany interactions have taken place with respect to the particular topic,and all content that is included in the interaction between one or moreend user systems 120 and one or more entity systems 140 related to thattopic. Administration module 202 then transmits this data to graphicaluser interface module 204, which uses it to generate user interface 500with respect to a particular topic. For example, and as shown in FIG. 5,administration module 202 may access interaction data 214 and threadcriteria 216, and group interactions into threads organized by caseinteraction 520 (comprising multiple threaded interactions grouped intoa single topic), sale interaction 522 (comprising a single interactionand topic), contact interaction 524 (comprising multiple threadedinteractions grouped into a single topic), or other interactions,according to particular needs. Administration module 202 may theninstruct graphical user interface module 204 to display informationregarding case interaction 520, sale interaction 522, and contactinteraction 524 on account board 518. Although a particular number ofinteractions and topics are shown and described on account board 518 ofFIG. 5, embodiments contemplate any number of interactions and topicsdisplayed by graphical user interface module 204 on any number ofscreens, according to particular needs.

According to embodiments, administration module 202 grades interactionsand prioritizes them based on the communication channel 400 involved,the content of the interaction activity, the frequency of previousinteraction activities, thread criteria 216, alert criteria 220, orother variables. In an embodiment, administration module 202 accessessentiment criteria 218 to grade and prioritize interactions.Administration module 202 then instructs graphical user interface module204 to display information regarding interactions using channel selectorscreen 516, including, for example, the communication channels 400involved in a particular topic. For example, in an embodiment in whichthe most recently-used communication channel 400 for interactionsassociated with a particular topic is text channel 408, administrationmodule 202 accesses sentiment criteria 218 and may assign a higherresponse priority to the topic than if the most recently-usedcommunication channel 400 were email channel 406. In an alternativeexample, in an embodiment in which the previously-used communicationchannel 400 for interactions associated with a particular topic is voicechannel 402, and the communication channel 400 of the most recentinteraction associated with the particular topic is email channel 406,administration module 202 accesses sentiment criteria 218 and determinesthat the urgency of the particular topic has likely decreased due to theend user's decision to communicate with entity system 140 over emailinstead of voice communications. In this alternative example,administration module 202 assigns a lower response priority to thistopic. Although particular examples of administration module 202 gradinginteractions and threads according to certain thread criteria 216 arediscussed, embodiments contemplate administration module 202 gradinginteractions and threads using any criteria, according to particularneeds.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary user interface 600 comprising accountboard 618, according to an embodiment. Account board 618 comprisesgrouped interaction threads 602 a-602 c, interaction activities 604a-604 f, interaction detail screen 610, communication channel icon 612,and sentiment score 614. Although FIG. 6 illustrates account board 618displaying grouped interaction threads 602 a-602 c, interactionactivities 604 a-604 f, interaction detail screen 610, communicationchannel icon 612, and sentiment score 614, embodiments contemplategraphical user interface module 204 displaying any number of groupedinteraction threads 602, interaction activities 604, interaction detailscreens 610, communication channel icons 612, and sentiment scores 614,according to particular needs.

According to embodiments, administration module 202 accesses interactiondata 214 and thread criteria 216. Administration module 202 uses threadcriteria 216 to group the interactions stored in interaction data 214into one or more topic-related threads. In the particular exampleillustrated by FIG. 6, administration module 202 groups the interactionsstored in interaction data 214 into three grouped interaction threads602 a-c, and instructs graphical user interface module 204 to displayeach of grouped interaction threads 602 a-c on account board 618.Although grouped interaction threads 602 a-c are shown and described,embodiments contemplate administration module 202 grouping any number ofgrouped interaction threads 602 from interaction data 214 using threadcriteria 216, according to embodiments.

Continuing the example, grouped interaction thread 602 a comprisesinteraction activities 604 a-604 d. According to embodiments, channelinteraction module 206 of server 112 monitors interactions between oneor more end user systems 120 and one or more entity systems 140, andstores each interaction as a discrete interaction activity 604 ininteraction data 214. Interaction activity 604 may comprise any form ofcommunication between one or more end user systems 120 and one or moreentity systems 140, such as an email, a phone call, a text message, orany other communication.

Continuing the example, interaction activities 604 a-604 d compriseemail interactions (604 a-604 c) and one phone interaction (604 d)between entity system 140 and a user associated with end user system120. Administration module 202, utilizing thread criteria 216,associates interaction activities 604 a-604 d with a particular casetopic (in this example “Case—143245”), and groups them together intogrouped interaction thread 602 a. Administration module 202 thencommands graphical user interface module 204 to display groupedinteraction thread 602 a using account board 618. Although groupedinteraction thread 602 a depicts interaction activities 604 a-604 dwhich comprise email and phone interactions, alternative embodimentscontemplate any number of grouped interaction threads 602 comprising anynumber of interaction activities 604, further comprising anycommunication channel or type of interaction, according to particularneeds.

Administration module 202 evaluates interaction activities 604 a-604 dusing thread criteria 216, and determines they are associated with aparticular subject matter (in this example, “Password Reset”).Administration module 202 assigns grouped interaction thread 602 a thesubject of “Password Reset,” and instructs graphical user interfacemodule 204 to display this subject associated with grouped interactionthread 602 a on account board 618. In this example, end user system 120sent interaction activity 604 a to entity system 140 in the form of anoutbound email. Entity system 140 then replied via email interactionactivity 604 b. End user system 120 sent a follow-up email to entitysystem 140 in interaction activity 604 c. Entity system 140 then calledend user system 120 at interaction activity 604 d.

Continuing the above example, administration module 202 and graphicaluser interface module 204 utilize the same process described above inrelation to grouped interaction thread 602 a and interaction activities604 a-604 d to generate grouped interaction thread 602 b, comprisinginteraction activities 604 e-604 f, and to display grouped interactionthread 602 b and interaction activities 604 e-604 f on account board618. Interaction activities 604 e and 604 f comprise phone interactionsbetween entity system 140 and end user system 120. Administration module202 accesses thread criteria 216 and associates interaction activities604 e and 604 f with a particular contact (in this example, “Contact—RayHarker”), and a particular subject (in this example, “Birthday Call”)and groups them together into grouped interaction thread 602 b.Administration module 202 transfers information regarding groupedinteraction thread 602 b to graphical user interface module 204, whichdisplays grouped interaction thread 602 b on account board 618. In thisexample, entity system 140 sent interaction activity 604 e to end usersystem 120 in the form of an outbound phone call to end user Ray Harker.End user system 120 then replied via activity 604 f in the form of asecond phone call.

Continuing the above example, administration module 202 and graphicaluser interface module 204 utilize the same process described to generategrouped interaction thread 602 c, and to display grouped interactionthread 602 c on account board 618. The space constraints of accountboard 618 prevent graphical user interface module 204 from displayingspecific interaction activities associated with grouped interactionthread 602 c. According to embodiments, subsequent account boards 718(illustrated in FIG. 7) and 818 (illustrated in FIG. 8) displayinteraction activity 604 information pertaining to grouped interactionthread 602 c, as described in more detail below.

Exemplary user interface 600 further comprises interaction detail screen610. According to embodiments, administration module 202 selects one ormore types of information regarding a particular interaction activity604, such as, for example, interaction activity 604 type, subject,status, direction (outbound or inbound), associated communicationchannel 400, or date, to be displayed on interaction detail screen 610.Although certain information regarding a particular interaction activity604 are described, embodiments contemplate administration module 202selecting any type of information stored in interaction data 214,according to embodiments. Having selected information regarding aparticular interaction activity 604, administration module 202 transmitsthis information to graphical user interface module 204, which displaysthe information using interaction detail screen 610.

In an embodiment, interaction detail screen 610 comprises communicationchannel icon 612 and sentiment score 614. Communication channel icon 612indicates the communication channel 400 on which the associatedinteraction activity 604 took place. For example, if the associatedinteraction activity 604 occurred over a phone call, communicationchannel icon 612 may indicate this communication channel 400 bydisplaying an icon of a phone handset, the words “Phone Call”, or anyother means to display the relevant communication channel 400. Althoughcertain exemplary communication channel icons 612 are described,embodiments contemplate any manner of communication channel icons 612,according to particular needs.

According to embodiments, interaction detail screen 610 may comprisesentiment score 614. As is further discussed below, administrationmodule 202 may access sentiment criteria 218 in database 114 and utilizeone or more sentiment criteria 218 to measure the sentiment of one ormore interaction activities 604 stored in interaction data 214.Administration module 202 may assign a sentiment score 614 to each ofthe one or more interaction activities 604 stored in interaction data214, and may transmit this information to graphical user interfacemodule 204, which may in turn display sentiment scores 614 on accountboard 618 interaction detail screen 610 or other user interfaces incommunication platform 100.

FIG. 7 illustrates exemplary user interface 700 comprising anotheraccount board 718, according to an embodiment. Account board 718comprises grouped interaction threads 602 a-602 c, interactionactivities 604 a-604 n, filters 702, date divider 704, and case 706,contact 708, and sale 710 common subject headers. Although FIG. 7illustrates account board 718 displaying grouped interaction threads 602a-602 c, interaction activities 604 a-604 n, filters 702, date divider704, and case 706, contact 708, and sale 710 common subject headers,embodiments contemplate graphical user interface module 204 displayingany number of grouped interaction threads 602, interaction activities604, filters 702, date dividers 704, or common subject headers,according to particular needs.

In one embodiment, administration module 202 accesses entity data 210,end user data 212, interaction data 214, and thread criteria 216.Administration module 202 uses thread criteria 216 to group one or moreinteractions stored in interaction data 214 into grouped interactionthreads 602. For example, and as illustrated in FIG. 7, administrationmodule 202 groups interactions into grouped interaction threads 602a-602 c, which comprise interaction activities 604 a-604 n.Administration module 202 transmits data pertaining to groupedinteraction threads 602 a-602 c to graphical user interface module 204,which displays grouped interaction threads 602 a-602 c and interactionactivities 604 a-604 n on account board 718.

In this embodiment, administration module 202 commands graphical userinterface module 204 to arrange grouped interaction threads 602 a-602 con account board 718 on a horizontal axis (wherein grouped interactionthread 602 a is on the left side of account board 718, groupedinteraction thread 602 b is in the center, and grouped interactionthread 602 c is on the right). This arrangement may enable, for example,the graphical representation of interaction activities 604 acrossmultiple grouped interaction threads 602 according to the date and timeat which each interaction activity 604 took place. For example,graphical user interface module 204 may display interaction activities604 in a manner arranged chronologically, wherein upper interactionactivities 604 took place before lower interaction activities 604. Fororganizational purposes, administration module 202 may instructgraphical user interface module 204 to display one or more date dividers704 on account board 718. Date dividers 704 may comprise one or moredates (such as, for example, the current date, or a specified date ortime) which visually separate or organize information displayed onaccount board 718.

According to embodiments, administration module 202 may commandgraphical user interface module 204 to further organize informationwhich graphical user interface module 204 displays on account board 718according to common subject headers. Common subject headers maycomprise, for example, case 706, contact 708, and sales 710 commonsubject headers. Although one or more case 706, contact 708, and sales710 common subject headers are shown and described, embodimentscontemplate any number of common subject headers according to particularneeds.

According to embodiments, administrator module 202 may command graphicaluser interface module 204 to display all interaction activities 604associated with a particular case (such as, for example, a particularmatter, such as “Password Reset,” concerning a specific end user of enduser system 120) under the case 706 common subject header. Administratormodule 202 may command graphical user interface module 204 to displayall interaction activities 604 associated with a particular contact(such as, for example, a specific user of end user system 120) under thecontact 708 common subject header. Administrator module 202 may commandgraphical user interface module 204 to display all interactionactivities 604 associated with a particular sale (such as, for example,the sale of a particular TV model) under the sales 710 common subjectheader.

Continuing the above example and with respect to FIG. 7, interactionactivity 604 a in grouped interaction thread 602 a occurred beforeinteraction activity 604 f in grouped interaction thread 602 b, whereasinteraction activity 604 d followed both interaction activities 604 aand 604 f. In this way, graphical user interface module 204 arrangesinformation on account board 718 that allows a user to quickly sort andorganize multiple grouped interaction threads 602 by interactionchronology. Among other things, chronology organization provides contextto things that may occur at the same time.

Still continuing the above example, account board 718 displays moredetailed information (as compared to account board 618) regardinggrouped interaction thread 602 c interaction activities 604 g-604 n.Interaction activities 604 g-604 n comprise SMS interactions (604 g-604i), email interactions (604 j-604 l), and call interactions (604 m-604n) between entity system 140 and a user associated with end user system120. Administration module 202 accesses thread criteria 216 andassociates interaction activities 604 g-604 n with a particular topic(in this example “Sale—New TV”), and groups them together into groupedinteraction thread 602 c, which graphical user interface module 204displays using account board 718.

Administration module 202 evaluates interaction activities 604 g-604 nusing thread criteria 216, and determines that they pertain to aparticular subject matter (in this example, “TV Model FGH5676”).Administration module 202 assigns grouped interaction thread 602 c thesubject of “TV Model FGH5676,” which graphical user interface module 204displays on account board 718. Interaction activities 604 g-604 n ofgrouped interaction thread 602 c are further discussed below.

According to embodiments and continuing the above example, graphicaluser interface module 204 generates account board 718 displaying filters702. Filters 702 allow a user to organize or sort grouped interactionthreads 602 a-602 c and interaction activities 604 a-604 n by name,contact, subject, type, channel, or any other type of variable.

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary user interface 800 comprising accountboard 818 comprising a multi-path interaction chart, according to anembodiment. Account board 818 comprises grouped interaction threads 602a-602 c, interaction activities 604 a-604 n, communication channel icons802, sentiment scores 804 a-804 n, alert 806, and common subjects 808,810, and 812. Although FIG. 8 illustrates account board 818 displayinggrouped interaction threads 602 a-602 c, interaction activities 604a-604 n, communication channel icons 802, sentiment scores 804 a-804 n,alert 806, and common subjects 808, 810, and 812, embodimentscontemplate graphical user interface module 204 displaying any number ofgrouped interaction threads 602, interaction activities 604,communication channel icons 802, sentiment scores 804, alerts 806, andcommon subjects 808, according to particular needs.

According to embodiments, administration module 202 accesses entity data210, end user data 212, interaction data 214, thread criteria 216,sentiment criteria 218, and alert criteria 220. Administration module202 uses thread criteria 216 to group one or more interactions stored ininteraction data 214 into one or more grouped interaction threads 602.For example, and as illustrated in FIG. 8, administration module 202groups interactions into grouped interaction threads 602 a-602 c, whichcomprise interaction activities 604 a-604 n. Administration module 202transmits data pertaining to grouped interaction threads 602 a-602 c andinteraction activities 604 a-604 n to graphical user interface module204, which displays grouped interaction threads 602 a-602 c andinteraction activities 604 a-604 n on account board 818.

In this embodiment, administration module 202 commands graphical userinterface module 204 to arrange grouped interaction threads 602 a-602 con account board 818 in a multi-path interaction chart. Morespecifically, administration module 202 commands graphical userinterface module 204 to display interaction data 214 pertaining togrouped interaction threads 602 a-602 c and interaction activities 604a-604 n in a horizontal multi-path interaction chart configuration onaccount board 818. As described in more detail below, the multi-pathinteraction chart configuration comprises multiple paths of groupedinteraction threads 602 a-602 c, displayed in a communication channel400 agnostic manner on a horizontal axis having separate interactionactivities 604 a-604 n.

According to embodiments and continuing the above example, themulti-path interaction chart configuration of account board 818 listsinteraction activities 604 a-604 n of grouped interaction threads 602a-602 c chronologically from left to right, organized by the date onwhich each interaction activity 604 occurred, with earlier interactionactivities 604 on the left of account board 818 and later interactionactivities 604 on the right. Alternative embodiments contemplategraphical user interface module 204 displaying interaction activities604 a-604 n of grouped interaction threads 602 a-602 c organized in anyother manner, such as alphabetically, or sorted by communication channel400.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 8, administration module 202accesses information stored in interaction data 214 regarding whichcommunication channel 400 is associated with each interaction activity604 a-604 n. Administration module 202 transmits this information tographical user interface module 204, which uses it to displaycommunication channel icons 802 a-802 c associated with each interactionactivity 604 on account board 818.

For example, communication channel icon 802 a indicates the particularassociated interaction activity 604 a took place via email.Communication channel icon 802 b indicates the particular associatedinteraction activity 604 b took place via phone communication.Communication channel icon 802 c indicates the particular associatedinteraction activity 604 c took place via SMS message. Alternativeembodiments contemplate any number of communication channel icons 802,depending on the associated communication channels available incommunication platform 100.

In addition, or as an alternative, embodiments provide foradministration module 202 monitoring and scoring interaction activities604 based on, for example, sentiment scores 804. That is, administrationmodule 202 accesses sentiment criteria 218 in database 114 and uses oneor more sentiment criteria 218 to measure the sentiment of one or moreinteraction activities 604 stored in interaction data 214, as previouslydescribed above. Administration module 202 may assign a sentiment score804 to each of the one or more interaction activities 604 stored ininteraction data 214, and may transmit this information to graphicaluser interface module 204, which may in turn display sentiment scores804 on account board 818 or other user interfaces in communicationplatform 100.

According to embodiments, sentiment score 804 provides a real-timeindicator inferring the feeling, behavior, viewpoint and/or mindset ofthe end user of one or more end user systems 120 and the representativeof one or more entity systems 140 at a particular point in time andbased on, for example, the specific words communicated between the enduser system 120 and entity system 140 which comprise a particularinteraction activity 604. For example, administration module 202 mayaccess sentiment criteria 218 and perform a subjective analysis of theemotions connoted by the words communicated in a particular interactionactivity 604, and may score interaction activity 604 with a numericalvalue sentiment score 804 (such as, for example, a numerical valuebetween 0 and 100, wherein 0 represents a negative end user interactionand sentiment score 804 and 100 represents a positive end userinteraction and sentiment score 804). According to embodiments,administration module 202 may transmit sentiment score 804 to graphicaluser interface module 204, which may display interaction activity 604sentiment score 804 using numerical values, color codes, a series ofphrases such as “Happy,” “Satisfied,” “Content,” “Not Satisfied,” and“Not Happy,” or any other visual indicator.

Continuing with the above example, administration module 202 calculatessentiment scores 804 a-804 n for each interaction activity 604 a-604 n(wherein administration module 202 calculates sentiment score 804 a forinteraction activity 604 a, sentiment score 804 b for interactionactivity 604 b, and so on), and transmits sentiment scores 804 a-804 nto graphical user interface module 204. Graphical user interface module204 then displays sentiment scores 804 a-804 n associated withinteraction activities 604 a-604 n on account board 818. According toembodiments, administration module 202 may track sentiment scores 804 ofinteraction activities 604 to determine whether the sentiment scores 804of interaction activities 604 associated with a particular groupedinteraction thread 602 are escalating or de-escalating with each newinteraction activity 604.

The following continued example illustrates the operation of themulti-path interaction chart of account board 818, according to anembodiment. Channel interaction module 206 monitors interactionactivities 604 across communication platform 100, including interactionactivities 604 a-604 n between an end user (henceforth, “Ray Harker”) ofend user system 120 and the service department of entity system 140across multiple communication channels 400, and stores interactionactivity 604 information in interaction data 214. Administration module202 accesses interaction data 214 and, using thread criteria 216, groupsinteraction activities 604 a-604 d into grouped interaction thread 602 abased on common subject 808 (“Password Reset”). Interaction activity 604a comprises an email Ray Harker sent to entity system 140 servicedepartment on Jun. 23, 2018. Administration module accesses sentimentcriteria 218 and analyzes the text content of email interaction activity604 a, and assigns it sentiment score 804 a of 58. Interaction activity604 b comprises an email sent from entity system 140 to Ray Harker onJun. 26, 2018, to which administration module 202 assigns a sentimentscore 804 b of 86. Interaction activity 604 c comprises a reply emailRay Harker sent to entity system 140 on Jul. 15, 2018, to whichadministration module 202 assigns a sentiment score 804 c of 13.Finally, interaction activity 604 d comprises a phone call survey sentby entity system 140 to Ray Harker on Jul. 22, 2018, to whichadministration module 202 assigns a sentiment score 804 d of 23.Administration module 202 transmits the above information regardinggrouped interaction thread 602 a and interaction activities 604 a-604 dto graphical user interface module 204, which displays this informationon account board 818.

Continuing the example, administration module 202 accesses interactiondata 214 and groups interaction activities 604 e-604 f into groupedinteraction thread 602 b based on common subject 810 (“Birthday Call”).Interaction activity 604 e comprises a phone call from entity system 140to Ray Harker on Jun. 23, 2018. Administration module analyzes thecontent of phone call interaction activity 604 e, such as by reviewing arecording or transcript of the conversation, and, using sentimentcriteria 218, assigns it a sentiment score 804 e of 58. Interactionactivity 604 f comprises a phone call from Ray Harker to entity system140 on Jun. 25, 2018, to which administration module 202 assigns asentiment score 804 f of 98. Administration module 202 transmits theabove information regarding grouped interaction thread 602 b andinteraction activities 604 e-604 f to graphical user interface module204, which displays this information on account board 818.

Further continuing the example, administration module 202 accessesinteraction data 214 and groups interaction activities 604 g-604 n intogrouped interaction thread 602 c based on common subject 812 (“TV ModelFGH5676”). Interaction activity 604 g comprises an SMS message from RayHarker to entity system 140 on Jun. 20, 2018, regarding the purchase ofa new television. Administration module analyzes the content of SMSinteraction activity 604 g, and assigns it sentiment score 804 g of 52.Interaction activity 604 h comprises a return SMS message from anemployee of entity system 140 to Ray Harker on Jun. 24, 2018, to whichadministration module 202 assigns sentiment score 804 h of 59.Interaction activity 604 i comprises a subsequent SMS message from RayHarker to entity system 140 on Jun. 28, 2018, to which administrationmodule 202 assigns sentiment score 804 i of 85. Administration module202 transmits the above information regarding grouped interaction thread602 c and interaction activities 604 g-604 i to graphical user interfacemodule 204, which displays this information on account board 818.

On Jul. 8, 2018, entity system 140 contacts Ray Harker twice, inseparate interaction activities 604 j and 604 m. Interaction activity604 j comprises an email from one employee of entity system 140 to RayHarker, to which administration module 202 assigns a sentiment score 804j of 79. Interaction activity 604 m comprises a phone call from aseparate employee of entity system 140 to Ray Harker, still regardingthe television purchase matter, to which administration module 202assigns sentiment score 804 m of 79. Administration module 202 transmitsthe above information regarding interaction activities 604 j-604 m tographical user interface module 204, which displays this information onaccount board 818.

As discussed above, grouped interaction thread 602 a interactionactivity 604 c represents a marked decrease in sentiment score 804 c(declining to a value of 13 from a previous value, at interactionactivity 604 b sentiment score 804 b, of 86). Continuing with theexample, administration module 202 accesses alert criteria 220 andtriggers an alert 806 across all grouped interaction threads 602 a-602 cbased on sentiment score 804 c. In this example, administration module202 triggers alert 806 according to alert criteria 220 due to the suddendrop in sentiment score 804 c compared to previous sentiment scores 804,which may indicate that Ray Harker has grown unhappy with the hisinteractions with entity system 140. Alternative embodiments contemplateadministration module 202 issuing one or more alerts 806 based on anyalert criteria 220, machine learning, the learning engine and/or therules engine within server 112 of platform administrator 110.

Continuing with the example, the employee of entity system 140 whocontacted Ray Harker in interaction activity 604 j again emails RayHarker on Jul. 17, 2018 in interaction activity 604 k, to whichadministration module 202 assigns sentiment score 804 k of 17. Theemployee of entity system 140 who called Ray Harker in interactionactivity 604 m calls Ray Harker a second time on Jul. 19, 2018 ininteraction activity 604 n, to which administration module 202 assignssentiment score 804 n of 15. Finally, the employee who emailed RayHarker in interaction activities 604 j and 604 k emails Ray Harker athird time on Jul. 27, 2018 in interaction activity 604 l, to whichadministration module 202 assigns sentiment score 804 l of 23.Administration module 202 transmits the above information regardinginteraction activities 604 k, 604 l, and 604 n to graphical userinterface module 204, which displays this information on account board818. In interaction activity 604 l, the employee of entity system 140learns that Ray Harker is no longer interested in purchasing atelevision, and entity system 140 has lost the sale opportunity.

Further continuing the example, administration module 202, by groupinginteraction activities 604 a-604 n into grouped interaction threads 602a-602 c and then instructing graphical user interface module 204 todisplay grouped interaction threads 602 a-602 c in the multi-pathinteraction chart configuration of account board 818, demonstrates thatthe critical event that lost entity system 140 the television saleopportunity was interaction activity 604 c, in which sentiment score 804c precipitously declined regarding “Password Reset” common subject 808of grouped interaction thread 602 a. If interaction activities 604 k,604 n or 604 d had addressed and improved Ray Harker's negativesentiment regarding “Password Reset” common subject 808, entity system140 might have avoided losing the television sale opportunity ininteraction activity 604 l. By displaying grouped interaction thread 602a-602 c information in the manner of account board 818, embodimentsallow entity system 140 to track which of its employees is responsiblefor negative interaction activity 604 c that occurred on Jul. 15, 2018,and provide entity system 140 employees engaged in other groupedinteraction threads 602 b-602 c with the opportunity to correct negativeinteraction activity 604 c in grouped interaction thread 602 a beforethe sale opportunity is lost.

FIG. 9 illustrates another exemplary user interface 900, according to anembodiment. User interface 900 may comprise case header screen 902, casedetails screen 904, channel console screen 906, tasks & events screen908, interactions screen 910, and activities screen 912 associated withinteraction activity 604. Although case header screen 902, case detailsscreen 904, channel console screen 906, tasks & events screen 908,interactions screen 910, and activities screen 912 are shown anddescribed, embodiments contemplate user interface 900 displaying anynumber of modules relating to interaction activity 604, according toparticular needs. According to embodiments, graphical user interfacemodule 204 may group case header screen 902, case details screen 904,channel console screen 906, tasks & events screen 908, interactionsscreen 910, and activities screen 912 into view 920, and may group caseheader screen 902, case details screen 904, channel console screen 906,tasks & events screen 908, and interactions screen 910 into view 930.

Administration module 202 may access entity data 210 and end user data212, and use entity data 210 and/or end user data 212 to determine theidentity of one or more specific users associated with one or more enduser systems 120 or entity systems 140. Administration module 202 maytransmit user identity information to graphical user interface module204, which may generate one or more views 920, 930 or other viewsdepending on the identity of the user, thereby displaying specificselected information to the user. Although certain views 920 and 930 areshown and described, embodiments contemplate graphical user interfacemodule 204 grouping case header screen 902, case details screen 904,channel console screen 906, tasks & events screen 908, interactionsscreen 910, activities screen 912, or other screens or information intoany graphical user interface display view, according to particularneeds.

According to embodiments, graphical user interface module 204 populatescase header screen 902, case details screen 904, channel console screen906, tasks & events screen 908, interactions screen 910, and activitiesscreen 912 with data pertaining to a particular interaction activity604, which is stored in interaction data 214. According to embodiments,case header screen 902 and case details screen 904 display the name andidentifying details of one or more grouped interaction threads 602associated with interaction activity 604. Channel console screen 906displays communication channels associated with interaction activity604. Tasks and events module 908 displays any reminders or futurecalendared events associated with interaction activity 604. Interactionsscreen 910 lists related interaction activities 604 associated with thesame grouped interaction thread 602. Finally, activities screen 912displays any other related events or tasks information associated withinteraction activity 604.

According to embodiments, administration module 202 may automaticallygenerate and send interaction activity 604 responses to end user systems120, based on one or more alert criteria 220. More specifically, alertcriteria 220 may comprise instructions for administration module 202 togenerate new interaction activity 604, such as, for example, a textmessage asking if end user system 120 is satisfied with its currentexperience, when administration module 202 assigns alert 806 to aparticular interaction activity 604. In alternative embodiments, alertcriteria 220 may instruct administration module 202 to generate one ormore interaction activities 604 if administration module 202 assignssentiment score 804 below a minimum threshold value to one or moreinteraction activities 604, administration module 202 determines thatentity system 140 has not responded to interaction activity 604 in adesignated amount of time, or any other alert criteria 220. Althoughcertain alert criteria 220 are described, embodiments contemplate anynumber or type of alert criteria 220, according to particular needs.

Reference in the foregoing specification to “one embodiment,” “anembodiment,” or “some embodiments” means that a particular feature,structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodimentis included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The appearancesof the phrase “in one embodiment” in various places in the specificationare not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.

While the exemplary embodiments have been shown and described, it willbe understood that various changes and modifications to the foregoingembodiments may become apparent to those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system, comprising: one or more end usersystems coupled with one or more entity systems; and a computer,comprising a processor and memory and operatively coupled to a displaydevice, the computer configured to: monitor one or more communicationson a first communication channel between the one or more end usersystems and one or more entity systems; monitor one or morecommunications on a second communication channel between the one or moreend user systems and one or more entity systems; access one or morethread criteria comprising one or more keyword criteria; group the oneor more communications on the first and second communication channelsinto one or more interaction threads based, at least in part, on the oneor more keyword criteria of the thread criteria, wherein the interactionthreads are communication channel agnostic; score one or moreinteraction activities according to one or more words of an interactionusing a numerical value sentiment score; track the numerical valuesentiment score of the one or more interaction activities by comparing afirst numerical value sentiment score of one or more earlier interactionactivities with an at least second numerical value sentiment score ofone or more subsequent interaction activities; determine a magnitude ofa change between the first numerical value sentiment score and the atleast second numerical value sentiment score; in response to detectingthe magnitude of the change indicates the at least second numericalvalue sentiment score is lower than the first numerical value sentimentscore, trigger an alert across more than one interaction thread of theone or more interaction threads; and display the grouped communicationsand the alert on the display device.
 2. The system of claim 1, whereinthe computer is further configured to: access one or more threadcriteria comprising one or more name criteria; determine the identity ofthe sources of the one or more communications on the first and secondcommunication channels; group subsequent communications from the samesources with previous communications from those sources; access one ormore event criteria pertaining to a defined event; and group the one ormore communications on the first and second communication channels andthe subsequent communications from the same sources grouped withprevious communications from those sources into one or moretopic-related thread.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the computer isfurther configured to: after displaying the grouped communications andthe alert, generate an automated response to one or more of the end usersystems or entity systems based, at least in part, on the assignednumerical value sentiment score and response priority.
 4. The system ofclaim 3, wherein the computer is further configured to: schedule futurecommunications to one or more of the end user systems or entity systemsbased, at least in part, on the assigned numerical value sentiment scoreand automated response.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first andsecond communication channels comprise one or more telephone lines,emails, electronic communications over the Internet, instant messages,or text messages.
 6. A computer-implemented method, comprising:monitoring, by a computer comprising a processor and memory andoperatively coupled to a display device, one or more communications on afirst communication channel between one or more end user systems and oneor more entity systems; monitoring one or more communications on asecond communication channel between the one or more end user systemsand one or more entity systems; accessing one or more thread criteriacomprising one or more keyword criteria; grouping the one or morecommunications on the first and second communication channels into oneor more interaction threads based, at least in part, on the one or morekeyword criteria of the thread criteria, wherein the interaction threadsare communication channel agnostic; scoring one or more interactionactivities according to one or more words of an interaction using anumerical value sentiment score; tracking the numerical value sentimentscore of the one or more interaction activities by comparing a firstnumerical value sentiment score of one or more earlier interactionactivities with an at least second numerical value sentiment score ofone or more subsequent interaction activities; determining a magnitudeof a change between the first numerical value sentiment score and the atleast second numerical value sentiment score; in response to detectingthe magnitude of the change indicates the at least second numericalvalue sentiment score is lower than the first numerical value sentimentscore, triggering an alert across more than one interaction thread ofthe one or more interaction threads; and displaying the groupedcommunications and the alert on the display device.
 7. The method ofclaim 6, further comprising, after grouping the one or morecommunications on the first and second communication channels: accessingone or more thread criteria comprising one or more name criteria;determining the identity of the sources of the one or morecommunications on the first and second communication channels; groupingsubsequent communications from the same sources with previouscommunications from those sources; accessing one or more event criteriapertaining to a defined event; and grouping the one or morecommunications on the first and second communication channels and thesubsequent communications from the same sources grouped with previouscommunications from those sources into one or more topic-related thread.8. The method of claim 7, further comprising, after displaying thegrouped communications and the alert: generating an automated responseto one or more of the end user systems or entity systems based, at leastin part, on the assigned numerical value sentiment score and responsepriority.
 9. The method of claim 8, further comprising: schedulingfuture communications to one or more of the end user systems or entitysystems based, at least in part, on the assigned numerical valuesentiment score and automated response.
 10. The method of claim 6,wherein the first and second communication channels comprise one or moretelephone lines, emails, electronic communications over the Internet,instant messages, or text messages.
 11. A non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium embodied with software, the softwarewhen executed: monitors, by a computer comprising a processor and memoryand operatively coupled to a display device, one or more communicationson a first communication channel between one or more end user systemsand one or more entity systems; monitors one or more communications on asecond communication channel between the one or more end user systemsand one or more entity systems; accesses one or more thread criteriacomprising one or more keyword criteria; groups the one or morecommunications on the first and second communication channels into oneor more interaction threads based, at least in part, on the one or morekeyword criteria of the thread criteria, wherein the interaction threadsare communication channel agnostic; scores one or more interactionactivities according to one or more words of an interaction using anumerical value sentiment score; tracks the numerical value sentimentscore of the one or more interaction activities by comparing a firstnumerical value sentiment score of one or more earlier interactionactivities with an at least second numerical value sentiment score ofone or more subsequent interaction activities; determines a magnitude ofa change between the first numerical value sentiment score and the atleast second numerical value sentiment score; in response to detectingthe magnitude of the change indicates the at least second numericalvalue sentiment score is lower than the first numerical value sentimentscore, triggers an alert across more than one interaction thread of theone or more interaction threads; and displays the grouped communicationsand the alert on the display device.
 12. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the software whenexecuted further: accesses one or more thread criteria comprising one ormore name criteria; determines the identity of the sources of the one ormore communications on the first and second communication channels;groups subsequent communications from the same sources with previouscommunications from those sources; accesses one or more event criteriapertaining to a defined event; and groups the one or more communicationson the first and second communication channels and the subsequentcommunications from the same sources grouped with previouscommunications from those sources into one or more topic-related thread.13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12,wherein the software when executed further: after displaying the groupedcommunications and the alert, generates an automated response to one ormore of the end user systems or entity systems based, at least in part,on the assigned sentiment score and response priority.
 14. Thenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein thesoftware when executed further: schedules future communications to oneor more of the end user systems or entity systems based, at least inpart, on the assigned numerical value sentiment score and automatedresponse.
 15. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer is furtherconfigured to: determine the identity of the first communicationchannel, wherein the one or more communications of the firstcommunication channel comprise at least one previous communication;determine the identity of the second communication channel, wherein theone or more communications of the second communication channel compriseat least one recent communication; and in response to detecting thefirst communication channel is different than the second communicationchannel, assign a lower response priority to the grouped communications.16. The method of claim 6, further comprising: determining the identityof the first communication channel, wherein the one or morecommunications of the first communication channel comprise at least oneprevious communication; determining the identity of the secondcommunication channel, wherein the one or more communications of thesecond communication channel comprise at least one recent communication;and in response to detecting the first communication channel isdifferent than the second communication channel, assigning a lowerresponse priority to the grouped communications.
 17. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the software whenexecuted further: determines the identity of the first communicationchannel, wherein the one or more communications of the firstcommunication channel comprise at least one previous communication;determines the identity of the second communication channel, wherein theone or more communications of the second communication channel compriseat least one recent communication; and in response to detecting thefirst communication channel is different than the second communicationchannel, assigns a lower response priority to the groupedcommunications.